Respectful Insolence

I have a new favorite word.

Yesterday, in the comments after my post on cranks attacking the concept of a scientific consensus, a reader named Craig wrote:

We don’t talk about consensus on these issues today merely because the consensus is so strong that only a dedicated guanophrenic would ever question them.

“Guanophrenic”? I love that word. It has the prefect combination of meaning, in essence, “shithead,” while having a delightfully clever implication of bats as in “batshit insane.” Of course, being a physician, I’d probably prefer the term “guanocephalic” proposed later in the comment thread. Either way, I’ll steal it.

Comments

#1 Clay
March 25, 2010

I think I like “guanocephalic” better. Narf!
#2 Sid Offit
March 25, 2010

Get some help with that copromania of yours
#3 Chris
March 25, 2010

Sid, you are an idiot, and from the data gathered from your comments here: a racist idiot. Next time try actual evidence.
#4 John McKay
March 25, 2010

A premed college roommate of mine referred to people being fecalcephalics or suffering a rectal-cranial impaction (head up the ass).
#5 JamesBrown
March 25, 2010

“You sir are a guanophrnic from GlenBeckistan”.

I love the ring of it. I will use it at the first instance and often from then on.
#6 justawriter
March 25, 2010

I’ve used the terms coprocephalic (shithead) and coproencephalic (shit for brains) for years.
#7 a
March 25, 2010

Male bovine copros
#8 meatbrain
March 25, 2010

I am so stealing all these words from all of you.
#9 Shannon
March 25, 2010

a guanophrenic from GlenBeckistan — LMAO!
#10 Ed Whitney
March 25, 2010

Anyone here remember fecalemia of the circle of Willis?
#11 WMDKitty
March 25, 2010

I am adding these to my list of clever insults! *giggle*
#12 HP
March 25, 2010

Copropomp.
#13 ekinodum
March 25, 2010

I learned some amazing (possibly bogus) things about the Circle of Willis 35 years ago, but nothing about fecalemia, whatever that is. A Google search gets me nowhere- please elucidate?
#14 Yojimbo
March 25, 2010

Another variant – “scatocephalic.” But I admit to really liking the “guano” implication
#15 Pieter B
March 25, 2010

Funny, I see “guanophrenic” as related to “schizophrenic,” i.e. “batshit crazy.”
#16 Pieter B
March 25, 2010

Duh, that’ll teach me to read more carefully. Sorry.
#17 bluemaxx
March 25, 2010

circle of willis..

isnt that the traffic circle out front of Boston General?
#18 DLC
March 25, 2010

Vacuocephaly :the state of having vacuum between the ears.
#19 Ed Whitney
March 25, 2010

ekinoderm- your memories of the Circle of Willis are probably perfectly correct.

Like “supratentorial” as a code for “all in the patient’s head,” “fecalemia of the Circle of Willis” was code for the patient’s brain being perfused with shit. The former was often uttered at the patient’s bedside and the latter away from the bedside. But the code was clear.

The Circle of Willis in front of Boston General reminds me of another (now obsolete) story about a guy who hails a Boston cab, grabbing his crotch and yelling, “Take me to the hospital, fast!” The cabbie says, “Peter Bent?” and the guy shouts, “Bent, hell, I think she bit it off!”
#20 Tlazolteotl
March 26, 2010

[sigh]

I’ll try again:

guanophrenia is an unfortunate side-effect of cranio-rectal impaction syndrome.
#21 Shatterface
March 26, 2010

Would ‘coproglossia’ be ‘talking shit’ and ‘bovine coproglossia’ mean ‘talking bullshit’?
#22 DT
March 31, 2010

Coproglossia afflicts those who possess a recto-tracheal fistula.